1986–87 snooker world rankings

[3] Steve Davis retained first place in the rankings, with a lead described by the snooker historian Clive Everton as a "massive margin of 18 points".

[3] Also retaining his position, in second, was Cliff Thorburn, while Dennis Taylor overtook Tony Knowles for third place.

[4][5] Liam Kelly of the Evening Herald commented that although the WPBSA's ranking system was intended to be fair, it was "cumbersome and complicated".

[8] The highest-ranked of the players who had been competing professionally for only one season were Barry West (30th), Tony Drago (37th) and Stephen Hendry (51st).

[9] Among the players who changed their ranking significantly from the previous year were Peter Francisco (59th to 26th), Steve Duggan (70th to 35th), and Roger Bales (100th to 66th).